Culture Shock

Hull, Georgia

Population: 160

Area: 0.3 square miles

(Source: georgia.gov)

One of Clint's friends said he thought I was going to have culture shock moving from Savannah to Hull. I thought that was so funny because I grew up in a town with a population smaller than the church we were attending in Savannah and because this friend seemed to think Savannah was some big, high class metropolitan area or something. I was not one bit worried about any sort of culture shock in moving here, especially since we're only about ten minutes away from downtown Athens, but I am now questioning my confidence in the matter. On our way home from church today, Clint and I passed a truck hauling a pontoon boat that had been pulled over by a cop. They were both pulled over to the side of the road. Cop car lights on. Just looked like they had been stopped for speeding or something. No big deal. Nothing out of the ordinary. Until we got closer. Then we saw that the cop and the owners of the vehicle were chatting away, lounging in the shade of a nearby tree in some folding lawn chairs, right there on the side of the road by the flashing police lights and all. What more is there to say? What do you even ask about that? Clint and I just looked at each other with our mouths open and started laughing. Maybe his friend was onto something when he was worried about culture shock . . .

thredUP

We are right in the middle of getting unpacked at our new place, which I absolutely love, so there's lots to tell you about there, but today I just wanted to take a quick minute to tell you about a really great website that Maggy shared with me called thredUP, a place to swap used baby/kids clothing online. Here's how it works: You browse through their list of boxes full of preloved kids clothes and toys that other parents have posted. Each box costs $5 + $10.95 USPS shipping (which is the one area where I think they could improve - shipping shouldn't cost that much). Once you place your order, your box is delivered to your doorstep in just a couple of days. Then you post your own box of preloved clothes/toys your child no longer uses. (thredUP provides you with the boxes for free.) When another member picks your box, you send it for free. There are all kinds of ways to earn credits on there too so that your boxes aren't quite as expensive.

I got my first box yesterday. There were three one piece pajamas/rompers, three long-sleeve onesies, a sleep sack (that was my favorite), four short-sleeve onesies, and four long-sleeve one piece outfits. The sender also threw in a cute cardboard book about sleep, three pairs of baby socks/slippers, and a couple tiny little hats as extras. So cute. My second box should come today. Then I can't order more until I have sent one. Pretty cool, huh?

I've told a lot of you about this website already, but if you want to sign up, please do through my referral link! I will get $5 credit for every person who signs up through it, and then you can get $5 credit for anyone who signs up through you. I'm wanting to get as much baby stuff used as possible, and this website seems to be a great way to do that!

A Good Day

Started the morning off with a breakfast of buckwheat pancakes with local blueberries and honey. Yum. About to make some homemade lasagna for dinner.


Listening to the Mumford & Sons Pandora station. None of my neighbors are home, so I can play it as loud as I want :)

Later this afternoon Clint and I are traveling to Athens. Tomorrow we will get some things squared away at Emmanuel College, then we get to take a look at our new place in Hull, GA. We move two weeks from today!

Last night Clint did a 20 minute power yoga podcast with me. It was the highlight of my week - we had so much fun! Lots of laughter.


I only have five shifts left at Cutters Point. Enough said.


I get to fly to Indiana next month for my very good friend Danae's wedding. I am so happy and thankful that I get to be there for that. Traveling is NOT in our budget right now, but we were able to make an exception for this important event in the life of someone that's very special to me.


I found tons of farmers markets and CSAs near where we're going to be living. I can't wait for all that fresh produce and maybe even a work/trade agreement with a local farm . . .


Yoga is cheaper in Athens than in Savannah. I found a studio offering power yoga, prenatal yoga, and postnatal yoga within 20 minutes of our house.

One of the things Clint and I are most looking forward to about the move is that we'll be able to go to church together. Since he has worked for Savannah Christian we haven't been able to attend services together, and it's something we've been sorely missing. We're really hoping to be a part of a strong Christian community and to have some good friends there. Savannah has been very dry in that regard. We would appreciate your prayers in that area as well!

Recent Food

I'm about a third of the way through my current read: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. It's been on my wish list for a while, and I absolutely love it! The Kingsolver Family decided to "live off the land" and grow their food and only eat local, seasonal food for an entire year. The book is a narrative of that experience. I highly recommend it!

That book, along with one I just finished reading, The Accidental Farmers, and the food inspiration spurred by Veganomicon, have helped me get back in the kitchen this week and to the farmers market yesterday, and I have to say it's about darn time!

The stuff I made from Veganomicon was good and easy, and I'm anxious to try more recipes from it. Today though, I decided to give my poor, neglected dehydrator some love, so I whipped up a double batch of raw sesame sunflower bread and then a triple batch of my famous hummus. Can't wait to slather some of the bread with hummus and then top it off with the fresh tomatoes and cucumbers I picked up at the farmers market yesterday. I'll sprout something to add to the mix if I get really motivated.

The best part of the farmers market yesterday was . . . fresh figs! My coworker Becca introduced me to the dried variety a few months ago, but until yesterday, the fresh version had eluded me. Not anymore, and I have a newfound favorite food. I'm hoping and wishing for a fig tree as a gift for some occasion. Any occasion will do. Birthday, housewarming gift, baby shower gift, or a welcome to the neighborhood cutting from a neighbor. I'm dreaming of a bountiful supply of fresh figs while in season, with enough extra bounty to dehydrate and/or turn into fig preserves while not in season.

Aside from the cheap but mouthwatering organic blueberries I got from a local farming family, the other highlight of the market were the dried tops of garlic plants I bought. I was so excited about the blueberries and liked the family so much, that I was suckered into buying four dried garlic tops (but at $0.25 each it wasn't such a big deal), even though I had no use for them. But, when I got home last night, I spray painted them turquoise and added them to my tillandsia tree! It was just the extra color it needed and will now forever be a reminder of the Forsyth Farmers Market since my chances for going are steadily decreasing as we get closer and closer to our move. Here's a (really bad) photo of it. What do you think?

The Move

Well friends, let me tell you, a LOT has been happening! I've very obviously alluded in previous posts that we are moving to the Athens area! Clint got hired as a film professor in the Communications Department of his undergraduate school, Emmanuel College, in Franklin Springs, GA. Here is a great article they wrote about him. He officially starts his new job on August 3, so we are moving three weeks from today! I literally could not be more excited.

This is where we're going to live. I still don't know if I really believe it. After all these years of apartment living, a whole house to ourselves. I'm so excited for our little peach to be born here.

And this is the part I'm most excited about - our backyard! Minus that broken down truck in our neighbor's backyard, it's perfect! I can't wait to plant a huge vegetable garden and another separate herb garden where I can grow all my own herbs for natural remedies. I also foresee a fire pit and lots of flowering landscaping :)

I'm also really looking forward to painting every square inch of wall space inside the house. I am so tired of white walls! There are a few rooms with wallpaper up now that our landlords are letting us remove, so we'll have no choice but to paint in those areas once the wallpaper is down. Shucks. And once the painting is started it would only make sense to continue it throughout the rest of the house!

In other news, I have been absent from the kitchen for quite some time now. I just haven't had the energy to make any food. This has not been good. In fact it's been very bad, not only on our grocery budget but also on our health! I knew I needed some fresh inspiration to get back in the kitchen, so, enter new kindle cookbook: Veganomicon. I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't consume meat all that often, and this book came highly recommended by the same person who recommended to me what has become my all time favorite cookbook, Feeding the Whole Family. I haven't made anything out of Veganomicon yet, but it has made me literally laugh out loud. Who knew a cookbook could do that? Tomorrow I will be making Creole Stuffed Peppers, Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh, and Messy Rice. I will report back later on how it all turns out!

Well, I think that's enough for one post, although I have so much more to share. Until next time . . .